The first episode of Antibörspodden (The Anti Bourse Podcast), a new podcast dedicated to investments outside the stock exchange, is now out. The guest of the premiere episode is one of Sweden’s most prominent alternative investors, Jenny Askfelt Ruud, Head of Alternative Investments at the Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund (AP4). She says investing in unlisted assets is complex and requires a lot from an investor, but it’s a valuable sector especially for institutional investors.
The first episode of Antibörspodden takes a broad approach to alternative investments and aims to clarify what alternatives are and what lies behind the great interest in these asset classes. The episode discusses, among other things, why investors should include alternative asset classes in their portfolios and the challenges of investing in alternative assets.
“The episode is a great introduction for anyone who wants to learn more about alternative investments, what they are, and how they work,” says Jesper Roslund, Head of Alternative Funds in Sweden at Evli.
AP4: 20 per cent of investments in alternative assets
The guest of the first episode is Jenny Askfelt Ruud, a heavyweight in asset management and alternative investments. Today, she is the Head of Alternative Investments at The Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund (AP4), where she has doubled AP4’s holdings in alternative assets in a short time, now amounting to about 20 per cent.
“Simple is probably the last word I’d use when talking about investing in unlisted asset classes. It’s complex and demands a lot from the investor. But it pays off. Diversification and good returns combined with inflation protection in certain assets are the main benefits of alternative investments. Our target allocation is around 20 per cent, and we strive to maintain and optimise that level,” Askfelt Ruud says.
For a long time, alternatives were only available to large institutions, such as pension funds. Askfelt Ruud sees a development where unlisted is beginning to open up to smaller investors such as family offices and private investors.
"In my opinion, the democratisation of opportunities to invest in alternatives is a good thing. We will see more of this as many institutional investors have hit their investment limits and fund managers are eager to gain access to a sector that is not really accessible today. I think we will see innovation in this area."
Increased interest in alternative investments
Alternative investments have rapidly increased in popularity, one of the reasons being that low real interest rates in recent years have led many investors to look for returns elsewhere, and hey have found it in this. Over the past five years alone, investments in alternative assets have had an average annual return of 20 per cent, according to data from Preqin.
“Antibörspodden is a podcast that sets the stock market aside for a while and focuses on the outside. There is great interest in alternative investments right now. It is also a nod to Börspodden, one of Sweden’s largest podcasts led by stock market professionals John Skogman and Johan Isaksson. They do a fantastic job, but we see a need to broaden the discussion,” says Jesper Roslund.
You can listen to the Swedish language podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
For more information, contact:
Jesper Roslund, responsible for alternative funds Evli Sweden
jesper.roslund@evli.com
+46 707 608182
